Jayda G: Guy track by track review
Here are our thoughts on the new album from Jayda G.
Date published: 9th Jun 2023
'Guy' is the second full-length album from Canadian DJ/producer Jayda G. A Grammy-nominated artist, she has constantly been climbing the ladder and taking her career to new heights. The album centres around her father's journey and how it led to where she is today. We thought we'd take a look at it on a track-by-track basis.
Intro
A tape whirs and we're listening to an old home video of Jayda's father. It sets the tone for an album all about home and her father's story.
Blue Lights
Instantly the album strikes a different path, with minimal electronics that oscillate as if you're cruising down a city street at night amongst the bright lights. The drumming packs more and more of a punch and eventually those electronic textures become much denser waves.
Heads Or Tails
The reverberated vocals in the background are reminiscent of disco tracks, they're intersected with Jayda's vocals at the start of this one. The beat is a throwback too, yet it is augmented alongside a host of elements from minimal drumming to echoes calling out in the distance. There's a playfulness that leads to hedonistic tendencies here.
Scars
It feels as though the beats we've heard so far on this album have had a warm hue buzzing around them. It is an album that feels naturally aligned with summertime. One of the best elements of 'Scars' is Jayda's vocals which sink in perfectly with the electronic sounds she spins.
Interlude: I Got Tired Of Running
We're back in home video mode, as we hear her father's voice describe that he grew tired of running away from his problems and was determined to stand up for himself.
Lonely Back In O
Describing herself as lonely back in Oakland after spending time across the world, it sees the DJ searching for reasons as to why she had this sudden emptiness meet her. It does feel like there's less life breathed into the flow of the song here, as the oscillations feel quite bloated and unnatural.
Your Thoughts
We get an augmented vocal that bleeds into a track that is a euphoric explosion. One of the liveliest beats on the album yet, it feels as though it'll be an anthem for the upcoming months.
Interlude: It Was Beautiful
Another clip, it does somewhat break up the album a little too much and we get very little information from this one.
Meant To Be
There's a flick of guitar in this track that evokes old funk classics. There's been a great variation of sound across the album so far, as Jayda embraces Disco, House, funk and soul. The keyboard notes that come in towards the end completely flip the momentum of the song.
Circle Back Around
There's a much more nocturnal feeling to this song. "You got me now" she sings as a dream-like feeling surrounds you. She speaks of the way you can't always dictate the things that happen in your life.
When She Dance
Her father's voice comes in as he describes that, "she can really cut loose". Suitably, this is a song that will have you up on your feet wanting to cut some shapes on your own. It's a celebration of dance as a form of self-expression as it invites you onto a technicolour dancefloor.
Sapphires Of Gold
"I am falling in love with living" Jayda declares as she disappears to dance off into the night behind a veil of sunlit synths. Its the kind of track that has a brilliant vibe but hits a point of repetition where it may struggle to be remembered.
15 Foot
Heavily-augmented vocals give way to an air of tranquillity. It's a bit of an understated ending but it's one that suits the atmosphere of the album to date, where it makes you think of escapes to far-off oases.
Overall, the new Jayda G album is one that has a lot of high points, there are plenty of anthemic and danceable tracks that flip between a script of house, disco, funk and electronic sounds. At its very best there will be plenty of new tunes to add to your summer playlist but it is debatable whether or not the narrative about her father really comes off. The interludes awkwardly break up the album and we don't really get a sense of a concise story. Neve the less, there are plenty of pleasing earworms here.
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